Loose Screw
by rocket-queen98
Summary: March 24, 1984 - Erin Dylan, a well known trouble maker, has to spend a Saturday detention with a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. She is a regular face in detention, and John has had his eye on her for a while, will he finally make his move? John/OC
1. Welcome To Hell

**Dear Mr. Vernon:**

_We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us... in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a trouble maker, and a criminal. Correct? That's how we saw each other at seven o'clock this morning. We were brainwashed. _

**BEEP!**

**BEEP!**

**BEEP!**

**BE-**

Erin's hand shot out from underneath the covers and slammed it down on top of the alarm clock before gripping it in her hand and tossing it aside, letting out a sigh of relief when the ringing stopped. She turned onto her back and lay there for a few moments before slowly getting out of the warmness of her bed, groaning when she saw the time on her clock, before making her way to the bathroom to freshen up, muttering on the way.

"Can't believe...on a fuckin' Saturday!"

A full 15 minutes later, she returned to her bedroom, closing the door behind her before she started getting dressed, turning on her stereo on her way. She grabbed her usual clothing off of her chair as she put them on, cursing as her beloved leather trousers fought her all the way, causing her to fall to the ground. Erin let out a moan, rubbing her back after she stood back up, putting on the rest of her clothes before sitting on the edge of her bed to shove on her almost worn out Doc Martins.

"Erin, c'mon, sweetie, your going to be late!"

The teen rolled her eyes before grabbing her leather jacket, her pack of cigarettes and silver Zippo lighter she stole from her friend, and bounded out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Her mother, Renee Dylan, was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, keys ready in her left hand with a slice of toast in the other. Erin smiled tiredly at her before grabbing the quick breakfast out of her hand and accepting the keys to her car.

"Thanks, Mom. What would I do without you, eh?"

Renee returned her smile, kissing her daughter on the cheek before rolling her eyes at the noticeable pack of cigarettes in her jacket pocket, shaking her head. Although she loved Erin deeply, she couldn't understand the way she was, the smoking and the way she dressed either but she wouldn't force her to change. She blamed it on the 'punk rock' music she listened to. Even though she got into a lot of trouble at school, Erin was a kind hearted girl who was with the wrong crowd.

"You would do fine, sweetie. Now, here's your lunch. There is enough in there for that John boy I met last week. Tell him I said hello. Behave, please?"

"I always do, teachers just hate me. I'll give him the message, he always steals my lunch anyway. Only fair though, I take his smokes."

Erin finished her toast and nodded, accepting the bag her mother gave her, kissing her on the cheek before leaving the house, waving back at her mother as she got into her car, turning on the radio and sped off onto the road. She was a regular at Saturday detention but it was only recently the school, mainly Vernon, changed the 10am start to 7am, which really got on her nerves and she refused to go, it was a complete waste of her time.

But after a long debated talk with her mother, she eventually gave in, not wanting to stress her her out more. Renee worked two jobs to support their family unit since her father passed away several years before, she didn't need to worry about her daughter. Luckily, her father left a good amount of money for them to live on, so it wasn't so bad. There was only two people in the world Erin was nice to and loved, that was her mother and her good friend, sometimes with sexual benefits, Matt.

He had stuck with her through thick and thin, since they were in kinder garden, he managed to convince her to attend detention. She didn't mind it, the only part she hated were the other kids and waking up early. Though they normally wouldn't dare to even look at her, let alone bother her.

Erin pulled up outside the school, behind Claire's car, smirking when she heard the spoiled princess letting out a whine before reluctantly getting out of the BMW. Stepping out of her car, Erin slammed the door shut behind her, putting on her best 'game face' as she noticed other cars pulling up, before walking toward the entrance.

"Welcome to hell."

"...the biggest mistake I ever made was marrying you. You are nothing but a selfish, ungrateful bitch!"

John leaned against his front door, closing his eyes tightly as the screaming started to get louder, and then stopped. His heart clenched when he heard his mother scream as glass was thrown and he started walking away from the house, swallowing thickly as he tried to calm down. He never felt sorry for his mother, she was just as bad as his father, they both were just as abusive to him as they were to each other. Detention was his favorite part of his week, it took him away from the awful place that was his home.

He also got to see Erin, which was an added bonus.

They had become sort of friends since they met almost a year ago in detention since he backed her up in an argument with Josh, one of the quarterbacks after the idiot wouldn't back off trying to get into her pants. He didn't get any punches in, she wouldn't allow him, she wanted him to herself but he held back his friends, captivated that someone so small, could fight like an animal. It was a weird experience because he never helped anyone, he never got involved in a fight with someone, he fought his own battles. But since that day on, his life changed, and over time he began to have feelings for her.

Lost in his thoughts, John didn't notice the car that came to a screeching halt beside him, the driver in it letting out a loud curse because it almost hit him. He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped him as he made his way toward the building. He smiled quickly at the girl who got out of the car before it sped away, and couldn't stop feeling sorry for the girl who got ignored by her parent. He had noticed her before, he remembered helping her up from the floor after she fell over someone's foot. That was his only time of being compassionate toward anyone else before Erin. She just stared at him before following him into the school, walking slowly behind him.

John stopped walking toward the Library to have a quick smoke in the hallway, the girl disappearing into the bathroom, and he watched as a dirty haired blonde made his way past him. John sneered at him, noticing that he was one of the popular kids that he hated, and he got a dirty look in return. After flipping him off, he leaned against the metal lockers, closing his eyes and taking a long drag of the cancer stick, when a pair of feet shuffled past him, but he didn't bother to look.

He could still hear the screams of his mother echoing in his ears, and it almost made him flinch, but he quickly brushed it off, not wanting to show weakness. He wouldn't let it bother him, not today, not ever. After about 10 minutes, he finished and ground the smoke into the tiled ground, before slowly walking to the library.

"Let's get this over with."

–

Erin smiled sourly as she entered the library, noticing the feared look the nerd near the back gave as he noticed who he was in the room with. She quickly noted who she was stuck with and couldn't stop the rolling of her eyes when she saw the two, rich popular kids that sat neatly at the front, avoiding her gaze. They knew what she could do, and would rather stay away from her if it was possible.

"Good, fresh meat." Erin muttered, taking out a stick of gum and tossed it into her mouth, chewing loudly, noticing the winces Claire gave, which only urged her on.

Walking slowly, like an animal stalking it's pray, Erin gazed at the possible seats that were available, noticing that the nerd was in John's seat, she knew that's were he preferred to sit, so that he could get to work at making the other kids uncomfortable. She left the blonde nerd, wanting to see what was about to happen when he found the kid sitting there. She almost laughed at the memory of the week before, and chose to sit at the table behind him. He was better company than the rest would be anyway.

She began blowing bubbles, popping the chewing gum as she rested her legs on the table, leaning back against the seat, shutting her eyes tiredly. A laugh escaped her when she heard the rest of the kids snort in disgust, enjoying annoying them. Just as she was about to doze off, someone patted her feet and popped her bubble, causing her eyes to fly open, shocked that someone would dare to bother her.

"What the- Oh, it's just you."

John flashed a smirk at her before snapping his fingers at the weaker boy, causing him to jump out of the seat and move quickly to the table across. She watched as he glared at him before moving the chairs so that he could rest, taking off his sunglasses and placing them next to him. Once he was settled he turned to her, his eyes set on the bubbles she was making before Erin spoke. She dug one out of her pocket before throwing one his way, he caught it. Just then the brunette he saw outside came in, doing a lap of the desks before taking the furthest desk at the back.

Claire and Andrew looked at her, before snickering to themselves. John and Erin stopped talking to glare at the back of their heads, Erin rolling her eyes before turning to look at the boy in front of her.

"Mom says hi, by the way."

He smiled a little, he had taken a like to her mother, she was a saint compared his own. She didn't judge him by the way he looked or that he was in detention with her daughter, he wished that other people could be that way. He ripped off the paper of the gum and threw it over Andrew's head, he saw the name on his Letterman jacket, before stuffing it into his mouth. The blonde acknowledged the paper but ignored John, shaking his head.

"Tell her I said hello back, yeah?"

She nodded, opening her mouth to respond when Vernon came in, stopping all conversations. John smiled at her before turning back around to face the teacher, a glare already set on his face. Vernon stood still, his hands joining in front of him, his eyes roaming the room.

"Well, well, here we are. I wanna congratulate you for being on time."

Cutting him off, Claire raised her hand, causing Erin to perk up in interest, wondering what the rich teen was about to say. John just raised an eyebrow, still chewing on the gum Erin gave him, causing his remark to stay inside.

"Excuse me, Sir. I think there's been a mistake, I know it's detention but, um, I don't think I belong in _here_."

Erin snickered, causing Vernon to snap his eyes up at her, before sighing and raising his watch to meet his eyes.

"It is now seven-o-six. You have exactly eight hours and fifty four minutes to think about why you're here. Ponder the error of your ways."

Erin, who was watching John blowing a massive bubble, quickly took Vernon's distraction to lean over her desk and pop it, causing a loud **POP** to echo through the library. She let out a loud giggle at the shock on his face. Everyone turned their heads to look at who caused the noise, their eyes landed on John, who was still looking at her in shock.

Vernon glared at the trouble makers, pointing at them,"And you may not talk. You will not move from these seats. And you two,"He made his way over to Erin and John, moving their legs from the desks and chairs,"You will not sleep!"

They shared a look, he glared at Erin playfully before resuming his chewing again,"Alright people, we're gonna try something different today. We are going to write an essay, of no less than 1000 words." He began handing out paper and pencils," describing to me who you think you are."

John tilted his head,"This a test?"

He ignored John and continued talking,"And when I say essay, I mean essay."John, copying Erin, put his feet on the desk, sneered at the teacher,"I do not mean a single word repeated a thousand times, is that clear Mr Bender, Miss Dylan?"

John, who was picking at his nails answered first,"Crystal."

Vernon looked at Erin, who was too busy doodling on her paper, waited for an answer. John tapped her desk, causing her to raise her head, and he pointed at the teacher," Yeah, yeah, as glass."

Accepting her answer, he continued,"Good, maybe you'll learn a little something about yourself. Maybe you'll even decide weather you care to return."

The nerd raised his hand and stood up, distracting Erin from her drawing, and everyone's eyes turned to him,"Um, I can answer that right now, Sir. You know, that would be no, no from me, cause..."

"Sit down, Johnson."

He nodded, like the good student he was, and sat down. John shook his head but continued to watch,"Thank you, Sir." Erin shook her head, smirking at how pathetic he looked, and resumed drawing, imagining stabbing the teacher in the eye with It instead, and she giggled silently.

"My office..."he points out the door,"..is right across that hall. Any monkey business is ill-advised..."he looks at them, especially at Erin, whose head was down but he knew that she was listening,"any questions?"

As expected, John's hand shot up, and Erin's dark eyes followed,"Yes, Sir. Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?"

Erin's laughter, along with a few snickers from the kids around, echoed throughout the room, and Vernon's face went a little red with anger and embarrassment,"I'll give you the answer to that question, Mr. Bender, and you Miss Dylan, next Saturday. Don't mess with the bull young man, you'll get the horns."

Erin pouted sarcastically, smacking John on the arm like she was mad at him, and he rubbed the spot, fake hurt on his face. Vernon's eyes gazed between them, and then he left, muttering on his way.

"That man,"Erin pointed at Vernon as he exited the room, her eyes wondering to the other teens,"is a brownie-hound."

Erin threw the paper away, it hitting Andrew on the head, before falling to the floor. He stilled but carried on removing his jacket. She heard John chuckle before he started to play with his lighter, quickly moving his fingers out and in the flame. Everyone was getting comfortable when they heard a loud snapping noise. Brian, they learned his name, turned and looked at the girl, who was biting her nails. Erin watched as John's eyes widen after he turned to look, everyone now facing her.

"You keep eating your hand, you're not gonna be hungry for lunch." John shook his head at her, tsking at her task.

She glared before spitting out her name at Bender, Erin nodded, impressed by her a little. He pointed at the brunette, "I've seen you before, you know."

They then sit in silence, John and Erin quietly talking before he began to take of his jacket, noticing that Brian was doing the same. Their eyes meet, and John stared at him, a deathly look in his brown eyes, then Brian, clearly scared pretended to be cold, he pulled his back on, and turned around, but Bender still stared at him.

"It's the shits, huh?"

John glared at him before turning his attention to the girl behind him,"What are you in for, anyway?"

John's eyes trailed along her face, along her neck, to her jawline before settling on her lips, wishing that he could just lean forward and taste them, the thought had been playing on his mind for months.

Erin looked up at him, tapping her feet on the table, a small smile playing at her lips,"I broke Cameron's nose. Y'know, he's been bothering me for months, spreading shit about me."

John smirked at her, eyes following her movements, staring as she popped a cigarette into her mouth and it, eyes closing in satisfaction as she took a long needed drag. Then a snicker ran through his ear, so he turned his head at the front, listening in to the conversation. He noticed that the kids at the front were saying something, something about Erin and anger flooded in his stomach. So he took the gum out of his mouth, rolled the essay paper in his hand and then stuck the gum onto the paper, then threw it at Claire's head.

"EWWWWW!"

He snorted when the gum and the paper hit her on the shoulder, sticking to strands of her hair before falling to the ground. She turned and glared at him, trying to dig out the bits that were sticking to her hair. Erin leaned forward, her fingers pulling at John's hair for his attention.

"You're a bully." He winked at her.

Claire turned back around, still pulling at her red hair, but the gum was still hanging on,"I can't believe this is really happening to me..." Andrew just rolled his eyes and stared ahead, glancing up at the clock now and then. She pouted, not getting the attention she wanted, almost stomping her foot when John started humming along with Erin.

Then stopped, gasping when he realized something.

"Oh, shit! What're we s'posed to do when we hafta take a piss?"

Erin smacked him on the shoulder again, moving to sit on top of her desk so that she could chat better with John. He tilted his head so that he was looking up at her, giving her a wink before continuing messing with the others.

"Please,"Claire hissed disgustedly.

Bender unzipped his fly and leaned forward, pressing his chest on top of the desk,"You gotta go...you gotta go."

"Oh my God!" Claire let out a squeak and turned around. Andrew whipped around to face Bender, resting his arm on the back of the chair,"Hey, you are not urinating in here, man!"

Erin covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggle, placing her free hand on his shoulder so she wouldn't fall on the floor laughing as Bender's head snapped up,"Don't talk! Don't talk! It makes it crawl back up!"

"You whip it out and you're dead before the first drop hits the floor!"

Bender gasped, leaning back against the chair, silently enjoying Erin's hand on him,"Your pretty sexy when you get angry. Grrr!"

He let out a bored sigh when Andrew turned around, tapping his hands on his desk before turning around to face Brian,"Hey, homeboy! Why don't you go close that door, and we'll get the prom queen, and this angel here impregnated?"

Erin raised an eyebrow at this, biting her lower lip when she caught Brian looking at her. Claire turned and glared at him while Erin jumped down from the table, sauntering over to Brian, sitting on the edge of his desk. John narrowed his eyes, glancing angrily at Brian when the nerd blushed, looking up at Erin shyly, not knowing why a girl like her would talk to him. She smiled at him.

"Yeah, Bender's right. Will you play with me?"

John's hands shook when he noticed Andrew looking over at Erin, wanting more attention than she was giving him. He knew that she was just teasing Brian, but he didn't like it, and he certainly wasn't happy about the way Andrew was staring at her. He gripped the table so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Hey!"

Bender ignored the boy in front of him, still keeping an eye on the trouble maker across from him, still laughing with the blonde.

"Hey!"

He turned back around, glaring daggers at Andrew,"WHAT?!"

John breathed, trying to keep his rage under control, telling himself that she was just playing around like she did every week with the weaker ones. It always worked, because she couldn't be bothered to do her own work.

Andrew flinched but the angry look soon came back, "If I lose my temper, your totalled man!"

Bender gave him a weird look,"Totally?"

Andrew smiled, thinking that won the round,"Totally!"

John laughed when he saw the look on Andrews face, swinging back on the legs of his chair, eyes trailing over to Erin, who was watching the scene between them, not interested in Brian anymore. Claire let out a groan before turning around to Bender, a sick look on her face.

"Why don't you just shut up? No-one here is interested!"

"Really!" Andrew turned around, crossing his arms over his chest, tilting his head toward Claire as he muttered,"Buttface."

Erin snorted at the childish remark. Bender leaned forward on his desk, resting his chin in his palm before he spoke," Well hey Sporto! What'd you do to get in here?"

The trouble maker jumped off Brian's desk and walked over to John, sitting on his one, looking down at Andrew and Claire,"Forget to wash your jock?"

John looked over a Brian, smirking at him as if saying to him that he had won the girl. Brian looked away, nervous under his gaze. He removed his eyes away from John's.

"Uh, excuse me, fellas? I think we should just write our papers."

They ignored him and Erin, who was now playing with John's scarf, yawned tiredly. Andrew removed his eyes from staring at the girl who was sitting on the desk to hiss at John.

"Look, just because you live in here doesn't give you the right to be a pain in the ass...so knock it off!"

Erin clenched her fist, trying to focus on the red scarf in her hand before muttering, "It's a free country."

John rubbed her back in some sort of thanks.

Claire tossed a dirty look at Erin," He's just doing it to get a rise out of you! Just ignore him."

Erin smirked down at the criminal before reaching down and tapping Claire's shoulder.

"Sweets, you couldn't ignore him if you tried, believe me."

The princess scoffed at this, turning back to face the front. John looked up at her, eyes widening at the comment and couldn't help but feel flattered, he wondered if she felt the same way about him they way he did her. She looked back at him, biting her lip, a small smirk on her face. Moments later, John turned away, clapping his hands together before speaking to the kids at the front.

"So...so! Are you guys like boyfriend/girlfriend? Steady dates? Lovers? Come on Sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot...beef...injection?"

Clair and Andrew whipped around,"**GO TO HELL! ENOUGH**!"

Erin and John laughed quietly at the screams, causing Vernon to scream in his office too but they couldn't hear him.

Andrew rolled his eyes,"Scumbag."

"What do you say we close that door? We can't have any kind of party with Vernon checking us out every few seconds."

They began to argue, Erin sat on John's chair, watching him as he tried to ignore the hurtful comments they were making toward him. He sat on the railing next to Claire and John, his head slumped as they poked insults at him. She couldn't help but feel the urge to break all of their bones for insulting someone they didn't even know, and she could see that he was trying not to let them get to him.

"You know, Bender...you don't even _count_. I mean if you disappeared forever it wouldn't make any difference. You may as well not even exist at this school."

Erin slammed her hand down on the table, finished with the crap they were giving her potential friend. Everyone jumped, even Allison, who was in the back drawing peacefully. She sent the quiet girl a sorry stare for scaring her. Claire's eyes widened, fear in her eyes as Erin stalked toward her until she was in front of the princess. John watched, biting the inside of his cheek, silently looking forward to the scene.

"If I hear one more smart remark from you, just one, you'll be in the hospital bed next to Cameron, exchanging stories of what I did to both of you. I'm the last person you want to piss off, y'hear me? I'm sick to death of people like you thinking your better than us. I actually feel bad for you, because when you have to provide for youself in the big world out there, the people you think are your friends won't be there. They won't even remember you, no-one will. Get over yourself or I swear i'll do some damage to both of you. It would be worth every Saturday I get for it."

Erin's deadly look was suddenly replaced with a sweet, innocent smile. She giggled before going over to sit next to Bender, who was still staring at the spot she was standing at. Clair and Andrew let out the breath they had been holding, making a mental note not to piss her off again. John recovered from the shock at someone actually standing up for him then he turned to Erin, a thankful look on his face.

"T-Thanks."

Erin hesitantly put her hand over his, the rebel inside her hiding away for a moment. She nodded,"Your welcome. Us trouble makers have to stick together," Erin joked, finally making him laugh.

Half an hour later, Erin let out a bored sigh as she played with her Zippo, opening and closing the top, watching as the flame lit up and then disappeared, yawning tiredly. Claire and Andrew were chatting about some party was coming up in the few weeks prior. Brian, sitting alone, was playing with his pencil, while Allison was still drawing peacefully. John was still sitting on the counter, throwing paper planes above everyone's heads, watching Erin out the corner of his eye.

He jumped off the counter, the sound of feet making Brian jump, as Bender made his way over to Erin's desk, pulling back the seat that held her feet, sitting down himself. She smiled softly at him, setting her feet on his lip, his hands resting on them.

"You bored too?" John asked her, playing with the silver chain that was on her black boots, thumb running over her leather trousers.

She placed her Zippo on the table,"Yeah, but we can't do anything with the door open, if we close it, we're fucked. It's bad enough being stuck with the rich crew day."

John raised an eyebrow before placing her legs back on the table, patting them, and making his way over to the door, fixing his denim collar on the way. Erin watched, sitting up properly as she watched his daring move. He looked over at her before standing on his tip toes after looking out for Vernon, quickly undoing the screw that held the door open.

"Bender, th-that's school property there...you know, it doesn't belong to us. It's something not to be toyed with." Brian said nervously but shut up when Erin shot him a dark look.

After the door slammed shut, he ran back to his seat next to Erin, handing her the screws,"Don't say a boy never gives you anything."

She smiled at him, impressed that he did something to try and cheer her up. His eyes lit up after seeing her smile, watching as she shoved them into the pocket inside her leather jacket.

"You should really fix that!" Brian said.

"Am I a genius?" Bender replied, eyes still on the girl next to him. Andrew turned to him, an angry look on his face,"No, you're an asshole!"

"What a funny guy!" Bender flipped him off, slumping into his seat as Erin placed her feet back into his lap, making sure to keep his anger in check so that he wouldn't get upset again.

"Everyone just shh! He knows what he's doing, he's been here before."Erin hushed them, glaring at the people around her.

"No, he needs to fix it! Fix the door, get up there and fix it!" Andrew hissed angrily, pointing at the door.

"Shut up!" Bender and Erin screamed at the same time when they heard footsteps.

"God dammit!" They heard Vernon yell before he entered the library.

"Why is that door closed?" No-one said anything, they just watched him carefully, John keeping his head down, playing with the chain on Erin's boot.

"How're we s'posed to know? We're not s'posed to move, right?" Erin replied, smirking at Vernon when he glared at her. He shook his head and spoke, more forcefully.

"Who closed that door?"

"I think a screw fell out of it,"Bender said, looking up innocently.

"It just closed, sir." Brian said, laying his head down on the table to escape his glare.

John smiled when he realized that no-one was going to rat him out.

He looked at Allison at the back,"Who?!"

Allison let out a squeak and slammed her face onto the table, hiding in her jacket hood,"She doesn't talk, sir." John spoke up for the girl.

He then turned to John, a fierce look on his face,"Give me that screw."

John bit his lip to stop from laughing,"I don't have it..." He said innocently, rubbing his hand over her leather-clad leg.

"You want me to yank you outta the seat and shake it out of you?" Vernon said threateningly, pointing a finger at the teen.

"I don't have it...screws fall out all of the time, the world's an imperfect place..." Erin chuckled, burying her face in John's shoulder to keep herself quiet.

"Excuse me, sir, why would anybody want to steal a screw?" Erin asked, resting her head on Bender's shoulder, watching as he created false patterns on her leg.

The teacher moved toward her,"Watch it, young lady."

Vernon went over to the door. He tried to hold it open by putting a folding chair in front of it, holding the door open with his free hand.

"The door's way too heavy, sir." Erin called, accepting John's hand on hers.

The door slammed shut despite the chair, and the students laughed loudly,"God dammit!"

Turning to Andrew, he forced the teen to help him move a bookcase, against John's smart protests. But just like the last plan, the door was heavier, but it didn't shut fully. Vernon turned on Andrew, demanding that he go back to his seat, that expected more from a varsity Letterman. John smirked, whispering in Erin's ear.

"You're not fooling anybody, Bender! The next screw that falls out is gonna be you!" Vernon huffs, turning around to leave the room, and Bender leaned back against his seat, a bored look on his face. Erin's eyes widened, she knew what was coming.

John muttered under his breath,"Eat my shorts."

He turned back around, stepping back toward John," What was that?"

Erin bit her lip in anticipation as tension filled the room, all the students turned and looked between the two men, ready for an exiting scene.

John sneered at Vernon, "Eat. My. Shorts."

Vernon took his hands off of his hips to point at the younger man,"You just bought yourself another Saturday, mister!"

Erin moved her head off of John's shoulder, rolling her eyes after Vernon's yelling, she was really getting sick of him.

Bender rolled his eyes, leaning back into his chair, an amused smile playing at his lips" Oh, I'm crushed!"

Vernon smirked, knowing that he was getting to John, which made Erin want to break him in half,"You just bought one more right there!" John laughed, not noticing Erin shaking her head at them both, letting out an annoyed sigh. She never wanted it to end up like this, she just wanted the door closed.

"Well, I'm free the Saturday after that...beyond that, I'm gonna have to check my calendar!" Bender leaned forward, his body language showing signs that he was ready for a fight.

"Good! 'Cause it's gonna be filled, we'll keep goin'! You want another one? Say the word, just say the word! Instead of going to prison, you'll come here! Are you through?" His hands were shaking with anger as John smiled at him, daring the teacher to give him some more detentions.

John wasn't about to give up the fight, not at school anyway,"NO!"

"I'm doing society a favor!" Erin knew that stung John, he hated being put down, so he fought harder.

"SO?"

"That's another one, right now! I've got you for the rest of your natural born life if you don't watch your step! You want another one?" Vernon had a wild look in his eyes, like he was yearning to put John down.

"That's enough!" Erin yelled, causing Vernon's gaze to turn to her.

John let out a shaky breath, slumping against the seat as the girl next to him took charge,"Leave him alone, you know how to press his buttons. He's doing his time, and you can punish me all you want but you know that I don't give a fuck. Just back the hell off."

Vernon's eyes widened, he knew that she wouldn't give up, she was worse than John. After a few moments of a staring contest with Erin, he backed away, storming out of the library, door slamming shut behind him. Everyone was now staring at her but soon turned away when she glared angrily at them before she collapsed against the seat, brown eyes watching the boy next to her.

"He's not gonna give up, even after me shutting him up. Just let it go."

John tilted his head, looking back at her. They had been in detention together for almost a full year, and every week he had the same debated argument with Vernon and it never got anywhere good for him. Erin smiled sadly at him, before shuffling closer after he opened his arms to embrace her. He let out a contented hum at the feeling of her in his arms, like it was something he had wanted to do for a while. He felt free when she was in his arms but knew that she would never feel the same way.

"Thank you."

Erin's eyes roamed the room, noticing that everyone was half asleep, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his fingers stroking her back, his chin resting on her head. She allowed him to pull her closer, kissing the top of her head. Slowly she fell asleep in his arms, and moments later he followed her, as did the rest of the room.

About an hour later, Vernon stood at the front of the room, watching as the teens slept before shouting loudly,"Wake up!"

Murmurs filled the room, particularly Bender, who was happy with Erin in his arms, and he glared at the older man,"Who has to go to the lavatory?"

6 hands shot up.

**Please review?**


	2. Light My Fire

**10:22am**

"Bored, bored, bored, bored..."

Andrew's jaw clenched as he listened to John mutter the same word he had been saying for the past five minutes as Erin drummed her fingers along to an unknown beat beside him on the railing. She was tearing apart a history book while John picked up a card catalog drawer and began to take cards out, replacing them in the wrong places.

"That's _real_ intelligent."

Andrew's sarcastic tone broke the comfortable silence that the small group was in and he stopped stretching as he waited for a remark from Bender. Instead Erin raised her head and threw a thick piece of the book she had ripped out at Andrew, smirking when he jumped to dodge it. She tilted her head, a fake remorseful look on her face, turning her head to Bender who returned the fake expression, smiling at her before she pointed her gaze at the blonde boy in front of her.

"You're right...it's wrong to destroy library property, how will I _ever_ redeem myself?"

She then shrugged and continued to tear pieces out, humming a tune along to Bender's chanting. The pair smirked at each-other, and Andrew looked on in disgust.

"Bored, bored, bored, bor-"

Andrew cracked his knuckles, his eyes now on the boy perched on the railing, annoyed that he had been cut off. Erin resumed her task at tearing apart the book, silently wishing that she could beat the Letterman to death with it, an amused smile on her face.

"Don't you ever shut the hell up!?"

Claire nodded, agreeing with Andrew but she didn't say anything. She didn't want another confrontation with the leather-clad girl next to her. Brian was leaning against a pillar next to the trouble makers, eyes wide as Andrew and John continued their glaring competition. Allison quietly watched, her eyes roaming between the five students.

"If I choose to, yes. For assholes like you, no, I don't."

Erin giggled, causing Andrew's eyes to move from Bender over to her and she shrugged again before speaking.

"Nothing else to do when you're locked in a vacancy."

Bender nodded in agreement at her remark and Andrew moved closer to Bender, looking up at him as the criminal chuckled at his attempt to be intimidating. Andrew rolled his eyes at the pair, wondering what he did so bad to deserve to be stuck with them. He turned his back to them, walking away slowly.

"Speak for yourself. All you two are good at are getting high and pissing everyone off, no wonder you live in here."

Erin threw the book to her side, causing Brian to let out a whimper went it came flying his way and she jumped down from the counter. Andrew stilled, regretting saying the last thing out loud as he heard her boots making their way towards him. Claire slumped in her chair as John followed her, staying a distance away, knowing that she preferred to deal with things alone, but he was going to back her up.

"Would you please repeat that, Sporto?"

The blonde slowly moved his body in a full circle, now facing the girl in front of him. John's eyes looked at her clenched fists, her nails were digging into her palm and he was sure that there was going to be blood there later. She was already close to being kicked out after hitting Cameron, this would just give Vernon a good reason to do it. He stayed behind her, ready to pull her back if she pounced for Andrew.

"I didn't mean...um...I."

The wrestler stuttered, lost for words as Erin moved toward him, causing him to take a big step back until he was backed against a desk, everyone's eyes on them. He didn't know how someone could be so scary with just giving him a glance, and he realized how dark her eyes were, like a wild animal that had been unleashed.

"Use your words, c'mon. Say it again, I dare you, in fact, I _beg_ you. It's gonna give me a great reason to give to my mother when I get locked away."

The only thing keeping her from hitting him was the image of her mother in her head, a disappointed look as she learned that her daughter had been kicked out again. But with every second she looked at Andrew, the memory of him judging her was too much to bear. Andrew's mouth opened but she raised a finger, silently telling him to be quiet.

"Didn't I tell you that it would be smart _not_ to piss me off? It's the worst mistake you could make. You don't know me, you know of me because of the rumors that people spread about me, just like they do to him. You don't _know_ him, you don't know what makes him act the way he does, or the way that I act this way. You don't even bother to think about it."

She pointed at Bender, who smiled slightly before glaring at Andrew again, who was leaning back against the desk as she moved closer. They all looked at her as she carried on, her hand slightly shaking at her side.

"Some of the shit they spread are true, some aren't. You go on and on about how wrong people are about you, but yet you have the balls to sit there and laugh at people who look a little different, or act in a different way to you. You are no better than anyone else in this school, but at least I can admit that I am a bitch sometimes. I give people like you what they deserve, I make them feel the way you make other people feel. You are not even worth the nails i'd break beating the shit out of you."

She felt John's fingers close around her wrist just before she pounced on Andrew, pulling her away from the athlete, who had tears brimming in his eyes. Everyone else was staying silent, while Bender wanted to lift her and spin her around in the air for finally telling it how it was.

"C'mon, you know that if you do that, you're fucked, remember? I would love to see the result, but your mother wouldn't be so happy, would she?"

For a few moments she just stared at Andrew, a look of hatred on her face before allowing Bender to pull her back, his hand gripping hers now, interlocking their fingers before he led her back to their desk, hesitantly following him to the back of the room. He sat down on the one behind Claire, who looked back at Erin, a sort of apologetic look on her face before turning back, glaring over at Andrew. Erin sat on the chair next to Bender, who still wouldn't let go of her hand before glancing up at the clock next to them, her eyes widening when she read the time.

A whole hour had past.

**11:30**

Just as they were all getting comfy in the still awkward silence, the library door was slammed open and Vernon sauntered inside, his eyes roaming the room. His eyes landed on the pair at the back, rolling his eyes at Bender, whose arms were still around Erin, who had a sort of calm look on her face now that time had passed.

"Alright girls, that's thirty minutes for lunch."

Andrew, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, raised his hand and spoke up, still avoiding the eyes of the people behind him. Even Claire was disgusted by his comment to the pair, even though she didn't like them at all, she thought that he had went too far.

"Here?"

Vernon rolled his eyes, looking at Andrew as if he had two heads.

"_Here_."

"Well I think the cafeteria would be a more suitable place for us to eat lunch in, sir."

Vernon placed his hands on the desk, leaning forward so that he was inches from Andrew's face, Bender watching with a grin, closing his eyes as she girl next to him shuffled closer, letting out a content sigh. She didn't understand why he was so nice to her. With anyone else, he was just plain rude, though they did deserve it. He was just so gentle and caring toward her, even when they first met. Maybe it was because they understood something about each-other, she wasn't sure but she enjoyed it.

"Well I don't _care_ what you think, Andrew!"

With that, Vernon turned to leave when Erin's voice piped up, ready to show that she wasn't upset anymore.

"Uh, Dick? Excuse me, _Rich_...will drinks be made available to us?"

Bender raised an eyebrow, seeing what she was trying to do and he backed her up, raising his hand as-well, smiling innocently when Vernon closed his eyes as he tried to keep his anger inside.

"We're extremely thirsty sir."

After that, everyone joined, Claire complaining first that she had a very low tolerance for dehydration. Then Andrew cut her off by confirming this, as the pair leaned back and watched it play out before Bender stood up, knowing that his last comment would work.

"Relax, i'll go get it!"

Vernon raised his eyes, thinking that he had got the upper hand, telling Bender to sit down, making him grin.

"What do you think, I was born yesterday? You think I'm gonna have you roaming these halls?"

He then pointed at Andrew then Allison, yelling when she didn't notice him at first, thinking that she was sleeping. He snapped his fingers and she quickly recovered, slowly and quietly following Andrew out the room.

"There's a soft drink machine in then teacher's lounge. Lets go!"

With that, Vernon left the room after one last look at Bender and Erin, who flipped him off with a sweet smile, before leaving the room after Andrew and Allison.

**12:15**

Erin, Bender, Claire and Brian were at the sitting lounge at the back of the Library, Claire silently observing the trouble makers as they sat comfortably near each-other, laughing to themselves. Erin had her legs on his lap again and was lying on the small couch, her head tucked under her arm.

Bender was sitting up straight, his arm draped over her legs, keeping her close to him as they chatted, completely oblivious to the redhead watching them.

"...also tell your mom thanks for the lunch, she's better in the kitchen than mine...you feelin' better?"

_Wow,_ Clair thought, _he actually has some manners, who would've thought?_

She wondered what John saw in the girl. Claire had to admit, she was good looking, with long brown hair that stopped just below her shoulders and she had big doe brown eyes, along with a pair of full lips. She dressed like a biker, similar to Bender with favorite band t-shirts, and flannel, and she clearly had a thing for leather clothing. Claire thought that she was the female version of Bender, possibly that's why they got along so well.

"A little, I just got pissed at the way he was talking to us. I mean, we gave as good as we got but that just hit a nerve I guess. Anyway, how's things at home, is it still the same?"

John stilled and Erin noticed this, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to reply. She accidentally found a fresh bruise on his arm a few months earlier when she asked for his jacket because of the coldness in the room, and when he took it off, it raised his jumper sleeve, exposing the big, purple bruise just above his wrist.

"Still the same, I guess. He's been leaving me alone for the past few days, he thinks my mom is cheating on him. This morning was bad, they were throwing things at each-other, and screaming. I just left, _fuck_, I can't wait until I leave that shithole forever and never look back. I-I know it seems selfish but I ca-"

He was stopped when she smacked his arm, and he raised his head, waiting for her to call him self-centered but she just grabbed his chin with her fingers, forcing him to turn and look at her.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about,"He opened his mouth to protest, but she covered his mouth with her hand,"_nothing_. They have made your life hell for God knows how long and they have done nothing to deserve the time you give them. They are not worth the thoughts, the fear, the crying I _know_ you do over them. I swear that if I ever hear you say something like that again, I will punch you myself. OK?"

John just nodded, he couldn't express in words how much the little sentences meant to him. Never in his life, had anyone said anything like that to him in his whole life. So he just grabbed her hand again and brought it closer to his chest, returning her gaze. Erin smiled sadly at him, perking up when Allison and Andrew came walking back into the large room, each carrying three cans of Coke in their hands. Allison passed Erin and Bender theirs, the two teens smiling in thanks before she sat up to give the quiet girl some room to sit down, still gripping his hand tightly in her own.

Then John leaned down so that his lips brushed her ear, whispering so that no-one else could hear him but her, a small smile playing at his lips.

"I've got something in my locker than can cheer us up, if you know what I mean."

Erin's head snapped toward him, cutting off her conversation with Brian, a sparkle in her eyes. She quickly nodded, watching as he stood up and offered her his hand giving her a wink as if to tell her that he got the good stuff this time. She let him pull her up, before following him away from the lounge and to the front door.

"H-Hey! Where are you two going?"

They turned around, Erin's face now a little bit colder as Andrew looked up, a nervous look on his face. The four looked at them, a confused look on their faces as they waited for an answer.

"Gettin' something out of my locker before she explodes and kills you all."

She nudged his side, laughing softly and they shared a look which made the others uncomfortable. Seconds later, she turned back to them, clearing her throat before speaking.

"You can come if you want, or you can stay and answer Vernon's questions that may lead to a phone call home since we're meant to stay together."

The pair stood for a few moments as they waited for the others to answer, smiling when they let out a loud unison groan, slowly sitting up before following them out of the library. Bender, making sure to keep a tight grip on Erin's hand, checked the hallway before stepping out, signalling the rest of them to follow.

He and Erin walked fast, knowing that Vernon could be standing at any corner, the rest struggling to keep up. Erin could feel the excitement flooding her stomach, it was the best feeling she had ever gotten.

"How do you know where Vernon went?" Claire asked, her eyes wide and roaming the halls from behind them.

Bender rolled his eyes, an annoyed look on his face, he regretted urging Erin to invite them. Erin, catching his look chose to answer for him.

"We don't."

"Well then, how do you know when he'll be back?"

Erin let out a sigh, turning around to face Claire, walking backward as they neared Bender's locker, rolling her eyes.

"We _don't!_"

She stopped when they came in front of his locker. He unlocked it, the rest jumping when a massive bang filled the hallway. The cause of it was a small guillotine sliding down between the lockers and cutting off the end of a Converse shoe.

"Slob!"

Erin ignored the blonde and Bender took out a large worn out paper bag, "My maid's on vacation!"

They watched as he unwrapped multiple paper bags, each one smaller than the last before he took out a small bag of marijuana, causing Brian to let out an unmanly like gasp. Erin just laughed, biting her lip happily, clapping her hands together as Bender roughly grabbed Brian and shoved the small packet into the front of his jeans.

"Take care of that for us, I don't want Vernon to catch me with it again. It didn't end well for me last time."

They two troublemakers smirked at each-other before Erin clasped their hands together and followed him down the hallway, Andrew protesting the whole way.

"Fuck that, Bender. Put it back!"

They ignored Andrew before walking away, knowing which way to go to get to the library before Vernon caught them. The rest regretfully followed them, Brian still fussing over what Bender had taken out of his locker and shoved in his pants.

"Do you approve of this?"

"Wait! Wait, hold it! Hold it! We have to go through the cafeteria!"

Andrew shook his head at Bender, pointing in another direction.

"No, the activities hall."

Erin and Bender shook their heads in before he spoke up,"Hey man, you don't know what you're talking about!"

Andrew got up in Bender's face, pointing at him roughly, trying to seem like he knew what to do. Even though John spent every Saturday doing this exact thing which caused Claire to let out an irritated groan.

"No you don't know what you're talking about!"

Erin suddenly reached out and pinned Andrew up against the lockers, her jaw clenched, another cold look in her eyes.

"Now, I _really_ don't want to do this right now, but your making it harder for me not to. He knows what he's talking about and we are going to follow him but if you want to stay here and argue with yourself, that's fine. But we're going _that _way!"

Erin let him go, nodding to Bender before he went off in the right direction, everyone else following them. Allison shot Andrew a sorry look before motioning him to follow her, and reluctantly, he did. He didn't know what was going on between Erin and Bender, so he kept his mouth shut the rest of the way.

"Uh, g-guys my pants are _really_ uncomfortable right now!"

Ignoring Brian, John and Erin ran down a maze of hallways, signalling whenever it was safe for the rest of the group to come out. They hid behind walls and pillars whenever Vernon crossed their path, making sure to never be caught. They couldn't stop the smirks that crawled on their faces every time they dodged Vernon, stifling their laughter like little kids in a candy store before they reached the library again.

John jumped onto a table, bowing at his detention 'friends' after making sure that they were safe,"I told ya, I know what i'm doing!"

Everyone let out a sarcastic clap as he stepped back down.

"C'mon, Bender, you almost got us caught, at least share it with us, asshole." Andrew growled, as the criminal made his way over to an uncomfortable looking Brian.

The nerd widened his eyes as John reached out his hand, "So, Ahab...Kybo Mein Doobage."

He wiggled his fingers as Brian unzipped his pants and passed the package over to the taller student, who joined Erin, who was already back in the lounging area, waiting for him. Claire, Brian, Allison and Andrew eventually followed.

By the time they got there, John and Erin were already, in Andrew's words, 'blazed up'

They were sharing a smoke as Erin started rolling up another four for them. John, doing that special teeth trick that Erin secretly loved, lit up a match for them, giving it to Brian to hand it round as Erin threw them each a smoke.

They watched as the effect started to take part, Claire getting off to a slow start after a coughing fit. John laughed before leaning over to Erin, taking a long drag before speaking into her ear.

"We should have taken a camera with us for blackmail,"

She giggled _loudly _causing to everyone to look at her weirdly.

Erin was laying down on the floor with Bender, her head resting in his lap as he sat, looking down at her. His hand ran through her thick locks as he brought the smoke down to her lips. She closed her eyes happily as she took her drag, blowing the smoke creatively.

The other four were sitting in a circle and laughing hysterically as Brian made fun of Claire and Allison, jumping on the small chair and pointing at them.

"Chicks, cannot hold der smoke! That's what it is!"

John laughed at this, finding that he preferred the others when they were high, they were more fun that way. Claire and Allison were dancing on the counter, dancing to the music that Brian had put on, who was now jumping around with Bender's sunglasses on. While Andrew was running around the second floor, whooping loudly as the rest urged him on.

"J-John, you finished it all!"

Erin pouted, clutching the chair as she climbed onto the couch next to the criminal, who was coming down from his high, but she was still clearly under it's influence. He chuckled as she made her way onto his lap, hugging herself against him, and he couldn't help but return the embrace. She laughed against his neck, causing shivers to run down his spine.

"I'm sorry, are you gonna punish me?"

Erin smiled at him, pressing her forehead against his, and he couldn't stop his eyes from travelling to her lips. She was chewing on her lower one, and it almost made him whimper. He really, _desperately_ wanted to kiss her but he wouldn't make the first move, not unless she gave him some more signals. He knew that she was a flirty person, that's why he got so jealous whenever she acted that way around anyone else but him.

"You want me to, Johnny?"

John swallowed as her lips came towards his, her body pressing tighter against his own, and he returned the move, gripping her waist tightly. Her warm hands cupped his face, her tongue poking out to wet her lips as she got closer. John's eyes fluttered closed...

**Please review?**


	3. I Wanna Be Yours

"_John..."_

The criminal let out a shaky breath after Erin rubbed her nose against his own, causing his breathing to hitch. His heart thumped against his rib-cage, and his eyes opened, looking up at her closed ones. The power she had over him was shocking, mostly to himself because no-one before her had mattered to him, not even his own parents. He wouldn't let anyone come close, but she had fought through the walls around his heart. This one, small girl made butterflies flutter in his stomach, made him trip over his words and want to hide her away so that other men couldn't look at her.

He wanted to fall to her feet and worship the ground she walked on for the rest of her life. Her long hair fell around them as the rest of their group laughed and danced in the background but to him they sounded so far away, like they were in another world. It was just him and Erin, the way it should be. Her hands cupped his face, stroking her fingers along his cheeks before she inched a little closer, he almost let out whine.

But he felt no shame, not around her.

John's hands slipped down from her waist, moved up to his own face and pulled her hands away slowly. Then he pressed their palms together, smiling happily when her hands, much smaller than his, warmed his skin. Biting his lip, he intertwined their fingers, locking them at each side of their bodies, his smile widening. Erin's eyes opened hesitatingly, looking at their hands, her head tilting again.

"We fit." John mumbled to her quietly, not sure what to say.

His thumbs caressed the tops of her knuckles as she stayed quiet, eyes locked on his moving fingers as they sat in silence. She was starting to come out under the influence of the drug, which made her even more confused about what she was about to do only minutes before but she couldn't pull away, it was like a magnetic force was keeping them together.

"Don't you think we fit?" He asked Erin, become more confident when she didn't pull her hand away after he last spoke.

She didn't know how to answer that. It felt somewhat right when they touched, she guessed that's why they did it so much. But she didn't know if they fit, liking someone's touch didn't mean that you belonged together. What she did know was that she wouldn't accept anyone else in this room touching her, not without a fight.

"Erin?"

He said her name so softly, with so much emotion that she had never heard from him before, it almost scared her. She didn't know why, but it felt like he was trying to say something through her name, some sort of message, she didn't know what though. He was so difficult to figure out, like a puzzle that when you think that you have it finished, there was one bit missing, that you can't ever find. Erin didn't know what he wanted from her, but she knew it was something big, something that he didn't want to let go. She didn't know if she could give him what he wanted, or if she was the right person.

"I-I ca-"

Erin was cut off by Andrew's voice warning them that Vernon was coming out of his office. Bender let out a pissed off growl his eyes turning to slits as he glared at the Letterman, who's head dropped under his gaze. This caused Erin to snap out of her daze before she pulled her hands out from under his tight grip and made a quick move for her desk. She sat down, ignoring Claire and Allison's eyes that were on her the whole time.

"_Fuck!_"

John sat there for a few seconds, composing himself as his mind began to wonder about what she was beginning to say, his head snapping up when he heard Vernon's footsteps coming into the library. He jumped up, jogging toward the desk, sitting back down next to Erin, who was looking straight at the teacher. His eyes narrowed, they normally joked and laughed when Vernon entered a room, but he shrugged it off to being a side effect to the drug.

Vernon clapped his hands together as he checked his watch, smirking smugly as he looked at the bored looks on their faces, still having no idea about what had just happened while he was in the other room.

"It is now...1:22pm, only a few short hours until your finished, so I suggest that you carry on thinking about if you still want to return or not, because I am happy to continue adding more on if you would like to join Mr Bender and Miss Dylan here next week."

Erin's fists tightened, ready to punch anything or anyone, because she couldn't be next to John anymore, it was too hard. Her mind was too fogged up, and she couldn't think around him. She knew that he would find some way to get them alone again, but also knew that Vernon had the keys to the closet he enjoyed putting the worst kids in. So she did the only thing she knew would get her out of that room until the end of the day.

_Game face, _Erin thought _Game face!_

Erin clapped slowly, letting out a dark, amusing chuckle before throwing her legs back upon the desk. She made sure that Vernon's attention was on her, smirking evilly before she spoke, a bored look on her face as she did.

"Is your life so _pathetic_ that you have nothing better to do than spend your free time with a bunch of kids. Does it make you feel better, make you feel important? The day will come when you realize that you are a sad, little man who enjoys picking on people he feels that will take it, _fuck_, your even worse than I thought."

Everyone in the room except Bender, who was looking at her weirdly, gasped as Vernon's face turned red with anger, slamming the books he was carrying on top of the rich kids desk before pointing at her, motioning that she had to go with him. Pretending to be pissed off, she rolled her eyes and grabbed her stuff, moving to the front of the library.

"I'm getting annoyed with you, you don't know when to keep your mouth shut do you? I'm sorry to inform you that you will be without Miss Dylan for the rest of the day, Mr Bender. C'mon, you know the way!"

Erin followed Vernon, confident that she could feel John's eyes on her back as she made her way to the closet, knocking expensive stuff off of the counters as she went for extra fun. Whispers filled the room as they watched Bender, noticing the familiar look of anger on his face as the door closed before he stood up, pacing up and down the middle passage between the desks before grabbing the nearest chair and throwing it to the back of the room, causing Claire to let out a squeak.

"**FUCK!"**

He stopped and stilled for a moment, closing his eyes as he tried to think of why she would purposely allow herself to do something like that. There had to be some sort of reason. Andrew continued to watch with the others as Bender tried to come up with a plan to get her back into the library so that they could at least talk about it, talk about why she did it.

"W-Why would she do that?!"

He knew that something was not right, because she hadn't talked to him about pissing Vernon off again like she usually did when they planned something. He groaned, running a hand through his hair. He couldn't spend ten minutes alone with the rest of them, he wouldn't last a few hours without her there with him, it seemed almost impossible. Everything seemed impossible without her around.

That's when he stopped pacing, finally figuring out why she left. The group tensed again, ready for another chair to be thrown but Bender reached into his pocket and pulled out a switch blade knife, popping the button for it to open. His eyes roamed the room, trying to remember the time he escaped the small closet when Vernon threw him into it. A smile appeared on his face and without another look, he ran to the stairs at the end of the room, getting to work.

"_BENDER_, what the fuck are you doing?!"

Erin let out a contented sigh as she entered the small closet, tossing her leather jacket and bag onto the forgotten cabinet before propping herself up on a dusty desk, smiling innocently at Vernon who was staring at her. He ran a hand over his face, his angry look now gone when she quieted down.

"What is your problem, Dylan? I thought we sorted this out at our last meeting with your mother that you would do your time in the library, not in here again! I have better things to do. I _know_ Bender had something to do with that..."

Erin smirked,"It's so homely in here. At least your shot of one trouble maker for the rest of the day. John has nothing to do with this, otherwise, he would be the one in here, you've just been pissing me off all day, and you know that I enjoy expressing my thoughts."

Vernon stepped closer to her, a hard look on his face before he heard a loud **CRASH** from across the hall, causing him to jump a little. He cursed John's name, glared at her one last time before making his way out of the closet, making sure to lock the door behind him. Erin leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as she took out her lighter and started fidgeting with it again, swinging her legs back and forth as her mind started to rest.

Across the hall, Vernon slammed the library door open, storming into the room, his eyes open wide as he searched for Bender, but he wasn't in his seat and his stuff was also gone. He slammed his hands down on the front desk, showing that he meant what he was going to say next. He looked worn out and tired, but wasn't about to give up this fight with them. He would not allow a bunch of children to wreck his career or reputation.

"Where is Bender?"

Andrew's mouth opened and shut as he tried to think of a response but came up with nothing. He looked over pleadingly at Claire who was gaping like a fish before she said the first thing that came to mind.

"H-He decided to go on a spree to the gymnasium, sir."

Vernon didn't even bother to reply before he stepped back, running out of the library like a wild man, screaming John's name as he ran down the hall and made his way towards the stairs. Andrew let out a sigh, slumping back into his chair, letting out a relived sigh.

"I don't know why we keep covering for him, y'know. What is wrong with him?"

Claire turned around to Andrew, looking at him as if he were the dumbest person she had ever met, a compassionate look on her face as she thought about what to say. She smiled softly before speaking.

"He's in _love_."

Erin stomped out her second smoke of the past twenty minutes before returning back to her make shift seat, stretching her legs out in front of her as she tried to doze of to shorten the hours she was stuck with. Her mind began to think of what Bender had said to her, his words going around and around in her mind like a roller-coaster. She didn't know what to do about it, because she always thought of him as just her evil twin type, someone she could cause trouble with.

When Bender was around, he made detention worth her while, it was never boring with him around because their pranks and insults bounced off each-other. They were so alike that it almost scared her because she had never met anyone like him before, she had never met anyone whose mind worked the same as hers.

"Room for one more?"

Erin's head snapped up, her eyes looking above her at the ceiling to see Bender looking down at her. He had opened one of the ceiling tiles with his knife, looking like he had won the lottery once he realized that he had opened the right one. Erin inwardly groaned, she just wanted some peace but deep down she knew that he wouldn't allow that.

"If you have to,"

She scooted over to the left as he slowly climbed down, carefully shutting the tile as he did. She rubbed her hands together, trying to calm nerves that she hadn't ever felt before. He made sure that it was properly closed before he sat down next to her, wiping the dust off of his clothing, shoving the knife into his boot.

"What are you doing here?" Erin asked him, twirling one of her rings around her finger as she waited.

Bender turned to her, raising an eyebrow, moving so that he was facing her, resting his elbows on his thighs before he answered.

"I could ask you the same thing, _sweets_."

He shuffled closed to her when she rolled her eyes at the nickname that he just had to slip in there after months of her begging him not to call her that. He placed a hand on her leg, but she slid along the dusty desk, causing a hurt look to rise on his face. She had never did that before, and it worried him.

"I-I, um, couldn't spend another second in that room with them lot, they were annoying me." She lied, looking down at her legs that were still swaying back and forth.

Bender shook his head, knowing instantly that she was lying by the way she refused to look into his eyes. He grabbed her by she arms and turned her to fully face him, pressing her body up against his, causing her to let out a small moan of surprise. One hand escaped so that he could grip her chin when she turned her head away, forcing her to look at him.

"_No_, you didn't want to spend another moment with _me_, that's what you meant. I don't want you to run away from me, you don't have to. Don't you know that by now?"

Erin let out a shaky sigh, his hand on bare skin making her tingle, but she couldn't get rid of the hurt look still fresh on his face and it almost made her shed a tear. She slowly nodded, causing his hand to fall from her face to her legs, this time she didn't move away from him. This comforted him a little, knowing that she was coming around.

"I-I got scared, so I ran. It's what I do, I feel something that I'm not sure of and I run. Your no different, y'know."

Bender smiled a little at this, she was finally admitting that she did feel something for him, he wasn't the only one with feelings toward someone. He let his hands fall from her body, giving her some space to breathe, but didn't move away from her. For once, he was glad that Vernon locked the door because this time she couldn't run away. Like him, she had to stay and confront what was going on.

"That's why we _fit _together, we're the same you and I. Your not alone, I get scared too. I was scared just like you was, but I refused to run."

Erin stood up, shaking her head wildly, she didn't want to hear this. It was all too much for hear, it was too soon. Even though knowing it was locked, she began to turn the door handle, kicking it when it didn't give away. She felt lost, she felt like she was stuck.

But Bender didn't stop, he stood up too, tears in his eyes. He touched her again, pinning her against the wall when she still refused to acknowledge him, making sure she could hear him.

"I came after you, that means _something_. Anyone else I wouldn't just let them go, they would mean shit to me, but I would chase you anywhere because you are the only person who gets me. You are the only person who listens to me, accepts me, who knows that I am _not_ just some scumbag who won't amount to anything."

Erin looked up at him, her lower lip wobbling as she listened to him. She was shaking with fear, scared of feeling something for someone else, scared to be hurt, just like he was. She felt his pain and knew that he could feel hers. John carried on, moving closer with each breath he took, his forehead resting in hers.

"I love you, Er-"

He was cut short when she smashed her lips to his, shutting her eyes tightly shut as she waited for a reaction. Bender's fingers tightened around her arms as her soft, plump lips moved against his own, shock spreading through his veins before he began to respond to the kiss. Her tongue ran along his lower lip, nipping at it slightly as she silently asked for entrance, which he eagerly allowed. They both let out a moan as it turned from tender to urgent in a matter of seconds, teeth and tongues fighting in a battle for dominance.

John's hand moved from her arm and ran it up her body, around her neck and dove it into her long hair, pulling at the strands playfully to angle her head to deepen the kiss, if that was even possible. He pushed her harder into the wall, smiling into their kiss as she let out a sound of pleasure, wrapping her arms around his body to pull him closer to her, curling his flannel shirt in her fingers to keep him against her.

**Obsessive**

That was the only word Erin could describe how Bender kissed her. It was like every kiss made him hungry, made him crave her more and that's what she needed, what she secretly desired. She wanted someone to take control of her, to give her what she wanted without telling them and she knew that person was Bender. She couldn't get enough of his lips, and she mentally kicked herself for not kissing him earlier. After what seemed like hours, which was too short for John, she finally pulled away. His arms stayed around her, kissing her forehead, anything to keep touching her.

"I _told_ you, we fit. We're a match."

Erin, somewhat hesitantly, nodded raising her head as his lips began to make their way back to hers. He kissed her soundly, sucking her lower lip into his mouth before he peppered kisses from her bruised lips to her jawline and along her neck. Her head tipped back, lips parting in pleasure when he easily found her weak spot behind her ear, drawing a low purr from her. He chuckled into her ear, eyes rolling to the back of his head at the sound of hearing her purr for _him_, _he_ was the cause of her moaning in pleasure, not anyone else.

"That feels...oh..."

Her head hit the wall behind her as he continued to suck on her neck, tongue creating patterns along to her collarbone, making a mental note of the soft spot behind her ear.

"See? The things we could do together, it could be like this everyday. Imagine what it could be like if we were together. I would _never_ hurt you, I swear on my life."

Erin's nails dug into his forearms as her body shivered, keeping him close to her, her fingers running through his short hair as he practically made love to her neck. He pulled away, returning her embrace as they stood there in silence, rocking back and forth, too wrapped up in each other to care about anything else.

"What do you say?"

**Please review?**


	4. We Are Not Alone

**14:04**

"Erin, what do you say?"

John leaned down to brush his lips along her forehead after repeating his question but she roughly pushed him away, causing him to bump against the opposite wall. Her hands ran over her face, through her long locks as she tried to think clearly, her mind was spinning as she tried to think of what to say or do. She refused to look at him, closing her eyes tightly as she paced the small room, breathing slowly.

"What's wrong?"

As the words he had said sunk in, she began to get an uncertain feeling in her stomach, she had been too focused on his lips, on the things they were doing to her, not the words he was saying. It was only when they had pulled away, was when she thought about it.

_I love you._

_We're a match._

"Eri-"

She turned around and slowly opened her eyes again, shrugging off his hand that he had placed on her arm in a comforting manner. His hand snapped back like she had burned him, biting his lip and he swallowed his pain. She looked like she was actually scared of him.

"**NO**...don't touch me!"

John watched as she backed away again, a hurt but confused look on his face, and he moved his arm back to his side. He didn't know what had happened, only minutes earlier she was all over him and now she was refusing to allow him to touch her, it didn't make any sense. He didn't know what he had done, but it was beginning to make him upset, he thought that they had sorted their problems out. He leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms across his chest as he eyed her warily.

John's eyes widened and he clenched his fists. He said too much to soon, maybe that's why she was pulling away from him. He bowed his head, squeezing his eyes shut as they began to water. He was just so exited that her lips were finally on his and the way she was responding to him, it just all slipped out. He thought that she had finally given into him, and he had felt secure to express how he felt. Maybe he got it wrong, maybe she just kissed him in the heat of the moment.

Erin stopped pacing when she heard him mutter the word '**shit**' and she looked at him, noticing that his hands were shaking and he looked like he was just ready to crumble to the floor. Her heart sank but she didn't go near him, she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself feel again, it was much better when she couldn't feel anything because that way she wouldn't get hurt. She hadn't felt anything good and meaningful since her father passed away.

But she couldn't shake the emotions she was feeling as John slumped to the floor, sliding down the wall before he reached the ground. She slowly moved toward him, kneeling down to the floor in front of him, but still kept a great distance away. Her eyes trailed up his hunched body before she reached his eyes that were staring at her, glassed over with unshed tears.

He raised his hand again and reached out, not touching her but he just kept it there before spreading his fingers, a silent question for her to take it. Her eyes fell to the hand, still slightly shaking and no matter how much she wanted him to touch her again, she couldn't do it.

It was like something inside her was screaming at her to let him love her, take care of her but something else was telling her to run away. Apart from her mother and her best friend, Matt, she hadn't gotten close to anyone else.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know how...it's hard to...um,"

Bender opened his mouth to speak but then the door was suddenly opened and Erin jumped up, coming to face to face with a pissed off Vernon. He glared at her before turning his attention to Bender, who was now standing up. He looked shocked, but not much since he was familiar with Bender escaping from the closet, so it was no surprise he knew how to get in.

"What are _you_ doing in here? I was told that you went off to the gymnasium."

John opened his mouth again, but then he just shrugged his shoulders, putting back on his signature smirk to mask how hurt he was, his eyes on Erin. She removed her gaze from his before turning around to Vernon, not wanting to be in the closet anymore, she wanted out. Even though it meant being stuck with Bender again, at least she could move away from him.

Putting on her best apologetic face, she spoke.

"Sir, can I _please_ go back to the Library? I understand how wrong my behavior was, and I apologize."

Vernon's eyes widened with utter disbelief, and he didn't know what to say, speechless for the first time in a long while. His eyes traveled between the pair, wondering if somehow Bender had something to do with what was happening.

He couldn't believe it, she had never said anything like this before and he couldn't help but think if they were up to something, but they both looked tired and worn down. He just stepped back from the door and watched at Erin quickly grabbed her stuff and left, shortly followed by Bender.

Vernon grinned to himself, "Don't fuck with the Bull, I _always_ win in the end."

–

Erin let out a relived sigh as she entered the library, quickly getting rid of the upset look on her face and replaced it with a smug smirk as the other students looked at her with a confused look. Allison smiled at her quickly before getting back to her drawing, and she returned it happily.

But instead of going to the desk at the back near Bender's, Erin took the one in front of Brian's, throwing her bag and jacket on the second seat before sitting down. He stopped and looked at her, blinked slowly before slowly walking to his desk at the back, kicking a chair on his way.

Claire turned around, an eyebrow raised as she felt the tension in the room, eyes moving from Bender to Erin then back again before Andrew finally spoke. Bender lay back in his chair, picking at his nails as he tried to calm himself down.

"How did you get out of there? Vernon hates you, locking you in there is like his dream."

Erin rolled her eyes, shaking her head, ignoring the nagging feeling at the back of her head to go sit where she felt like she belonged.

"That's a secret. Speaking of why...what did _you_ do to get in here? Your the perfect child, like the nerd sitting behind me. What did you do so badly to get in here?"

Andrew glared daggers at her before getting out of his chair and making his way to the second floor, shoving things out of his way as he did. Everyone turned and looked at her again, she just shrugged and followed the Letterman, jogging up the stairs.

The rest slowly followed behind her, Bender going just to make himself feel better, he wanted to get rid of the feeling inside of him. He found them sitting between bookcases, Andrew leaning against the railing, while Erin was sitting up straight, hands folded in her lap as she waited for an answer.

"We haven't got all day. You insult me for what I did, well I think I deserve to know what you got thrown in here for."

They all sat down, Bender across from Erin, while Claire and Brian sat at either side of Andrew. Allison circled them before choosing to sit next to Erin, the only person she was somewhat friends with in the group.

"Don't say that to him!"

Claire defended Andrew, ignoring the sharp look Erin sent her way. Andrew just raised his hand to stop the redhead from continuing, wiping the tears off his cheeks as he did before he responded to Erin.

"She's right...you really want to know what, uh, what I did to get in here? I taped Larry Lester's buns together."

Claire let out a giggle, causing them all to turn to her and give her a look, but she continued, gripping her stomach to calm herself down as she did. Brian hushed her, motioning Andrew to continue.

"Well then you know how hairy he is right? Well, when they pulled the tape off, most of his hair came off and some, some skin too..."

Claire's face turned from amused to sad when she heard what he said, shaking her head, like she was scolding herself. Andrew sniffed while Bender still remained emotionless as did Erin, still not happy with the answer she was getting. Brian clutched his legs to his chest as he waited for Andrew to finish his story.

"And the bizarre thing is, is that I did it for my old man...I wanted him to think that I was cool. He's always going off about, you know, when he was in school...all the wild things he used to do. And I got the feeling that he was on anyone, right...So, I'm...I'm sitting in the locker room, and I'm taping up my knee. And Larry's undressing a couple lockers down from me. Yeah...he's kinda..he's kinda skinny, **weak**. And I started thinking about my father, and his attitude about weakness."

Bender's head snapped up, now suddenly interested, while Erin shuffled closer to Andrew, leaning against a pillar to get comfy, smiling down at Allison who was leaning on her back, lying down with her head in her hands. Andrew wiped his tears away again as he prepared himself for what he was about to say.

"...and the next thing I knew, I uh, I jumped on top of him and started wailing on him...And my friends, they just laughed and cheered me on. And afterwards, when I was sittin' in Vernon's office, all I could think about was Larry's father. And Larry havin' to go home and...and explain what happened to him. And the humiliation..._fucking_ humiliation he must've felt. It must have been unreal...I mean,"

Andrew was full on sobbing now, his face slightly red from rubbing the wetness off his cheeks, while Bender was struggling to keep his emotions in. He was looking down at the floor, playing with the bandanna tied to his boot. Erin blinked, nodding slightly in understanding.

"Go on, Andrew. We're not judging you." Claire whispered, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I mean, how do you apologize for something like that? There's no way...it's all because of me and my old man. Oh God, I fucking hate him! He's like this...he's like this mindless machine that I can't even relate to anymore..."**Andrew**, you've got to be number one! I won't tolerate any losers in this family...Your intensity is for shit! **Win! WIN! WIN!**" You son of a bitch! You know, sometimes, I wish my knee would give...and I wouldn't be able to wrestle anymore. And he could forget all about me..."

Bender nodded this time, causing Erin's eyes to drift over to him as Andrew spoke, understanding that he could somewhat relate to Andrew in a way. She bit her lip, turning her head back to the boy in along from her. He had his head in his hands, clawing at his blonde hair as he cried, accepting the hug that Claire gave him while Brian was wiping at his own tears.

"I think your old man and my old man should get together and go bowling."

John's voice held a hard edge to it as he raised his head, causing Andrew to laugh briefly as he used his sleeve to get rid of his tears. He knew that he now had some sort of connection with John, knowing that both of their fathers were absolute monsters in a way.

"It's like me, you know, with my grades...like, when I, when I step outside myself kinda, and when I, when I look in at myself you know? And I see me and I don't like what I see, I really don't."

Brian buried his face in his knees as the attention was turned around to him. He scratched his nose as he tried to find the right words to explain how he felt, but he just shook his head before raising his voice.

"I'm stupid...'cause I'm failing shop. See we had this assignment, to make this ceramic elephant, and um...and we had eight weeks to do it and we're s'posed ta, and it was like a lamp, and when you pull the trunk the light was s'posed to go on...my light didn't go on, I got an F on it. _Never_ got an F in my life... When I signed up, you know, for the course I mean. I thought I was playing it real smart, you know. 'Cause I thought, I'll take shop, it'll be such an easy way to maintain my grade point average_..._"

Bender scoffed, and everyone turned to him, "Why'd you think it'd be easy?"

Brian raised an eyebrow before answering, a confused look on his face, not knowing why he was so interested.

"Have you seen some of the dopes that take shop?"

Bender looked a little pissed off at this, but he shook his head, laughing sarcastically before responding.

"I take shop...you must be a _fuckin'_ idiot!"

Brian sneered a little at him, swallowing as his words sunk in, only adding to his depressing thoughts but he replied with the same tone Bender gave him.

"I'm a fuckin' idiot because I can't make a lamp?"

Bender moved closer to him, now leaning against the same pillar Erin was, not noticing the weird look she gave him, he was too interested in putting his point across.

"No, you're a genius because you can't make a _lamp_..."

Brian, now a little more interested, hit him with another question. Erin sighed, now bored, started to tug at Benders hand, playing with his leather gloves, causing him to smile a little as he debated with the nerd.

"What do you know about Trigonometry?"

Bender answered with another remark, and they began a short lived debate, making Claire roll her eyes and play with her nails while Andrew settled for the string attached to his hoodie. After a few moments, Erin began to get a little angry at Bender's raised voice and slapped his hand.

"Without lamps, there'd be no light!"

Erin stood up and sat in front of Bender, putting herself in between him and Brian, raising her hand to shut them both up, which they did right away, noticing the look on her face. Facing Bender, she told him to calm down and be quiet, then turned to the rest of them.

"Okay so neither one of you is any better than the other one, so _please_ let it go. No fighting, OK? We want to know why the others are in here and it's his turn."

Erin snapped her fingers and pointed at Brian,"Tell us why your here, like Princess said, we're _not_ gonna judge you."

She stood back up and moved back to her place in between Bender and Allison, who was still lying on the floor, a bored look on her face as she listened and started drawing in her book, grabbing his hand again. John nodded to Brian, urging him to tell them, while playing with Erin's hair.

"I'm here because Mr. Ryan found a gun in the locker..."

He was cut off when Andrew interrupted,"What's the gun for, Brian?"

Erin rolled her eyes, grabbing a crumpled piece of paper off Allison's book and threw It at him, the paper hitting him right between the eyes. Everyone laughed, causing the mood to lift a little.

"Maybe if you kept your mouth shut, he would tell us."

Andrew sighed, apologizing to Brian before asking him to continue.

"I can't have an F, I _can't_ have it and I know my parents can't have it! Even if I aced the rest of the semester, I'm still only a B. And everything's ruined for me!"

He hit the chair next to him, screaming in anger.

"So I considered my options, you know?"

Allison piped up with her own question once Brian finished, shaking her hair out of her eyes, all while coloring in her drawing.

"It was a hand gun?"

Brian shook his head, chewing on his lower lip, looking at the quiet girl.

"No, it was a flare gun, went off in my locker."

Andrew laughed, trying to stop but he couldn't, and Brian turned to him.

"It's not funny,"

They all start to laugh, including Allison. But the rest started, causing him to see their side of the situation and he started chucking himself.

"Yes it is...fuckin' elephant was **destroyed**!"

Everyone laughed, Erin resting her head on Bender's shoulder, giggling into his denim jacket as she tried to be supportive but it was getting really difficult. Once everything settled, Allison raised her hand, making them all calm down.

"You wanna know what I did to get in here?" They all nodded," Nothing...I didn't have anything better to do."

Everyone laughs again, Bender leaning against Erin as all their worries seemed to crumble away, forgotten for just this one moment. Allison, still smiling, pouted and slightly moved away, clutching her drawing book to her chest.

"You're _laughing_ at me..."

Still laughing, Andrew yelled out,"No!"

"Yeah you are!"

Their circle filled with laughter, Claire and Andrew falling on the floor as the princess crawled toward Allison, opening her arms to embrace the brunette in a hug, throwing her drawing book away in the process.

Erin raised her head to the criminal next to her, who was already staring down at her, colour in his cheeks as his laughter died down. She snuggled closer into his side, letting out a hum of pleasure as he pulled her onto his lap.

"Hmmm, guess we have some new friends, huh?"

Erin smirked at him, moving her face to his neck, not caring who was watching them, placing a kiss behind his ear. He grabbed her arms and pulled her away for a moment, eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"Why did you do that?"

She smiled at him, placing her palms on his chest, lowering her head, slightly shy as she thought about what to say.

"Because I don't know how to apologize...?"

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and he held her close when she placed a quick kiss on his lips. She let out a happy moan, rubbing her nose against his when he leaned forward to deepen their kiss, his wet tongue poking out and tracing the shape of her lips before she parted them, meeting his tongue with her own.

It felt like it had been years since they had kissed not a few hours, and she just hoped that it would always be this way. Her hands moved from his chest back into his hair, playing with the silky strands as their kiss got more passionate before pulling away, both panting for air.

"Your forgiven, I guess. As long you kiss me like that again after we're out of here."

**Please review?**


	5. What Happens Now?

**A/N **I want to thank you all for your great reviews, and I really enjoy hearing from you all because I never thought that I would ever get any. I do try to make the chapters as long as I can and interesting. I think this one might be the last, or does anyone want a Monday-type chapter? If you do, _please_ tell me. Again, thanks for the nice comments you've submitted, and keep them coming! :)

* * *

**15:00**

"So..."

Everyone was now settled, Andrew was sitting next to Allison, a coloring pen in his hand as he tried to help her finish off her drawing. Claire was holding up a mirror to her face, re-applying the make up that had been smudged from her laughing and crying. John was sitting up against the pillar, sharing a cigarette with Erin, who was curled up at his side, head resting on his lap as they quietly chatted. They all turned to the source of the sound, eyes landing on Brian, who was leaning against the railing, at Andrew's old spot.

"What happens on Monday?"

Claire slowly set her compact down to her side, a thoughtful look on her face as she moved her gaze to Andrew, silently asking him to answer for her. Allison looked up at the athlete, a questionable look on her face, but then carried on with her picture. Erin and John just shrugged, nothing would major would change in their lives on Monday, just a new relationship status. Brian rolled his eyes, before making his question more clear.

"Are we all, like, friends now?"

Andrew's mouth opened then shut as he tried to think of an answer, looking over at John for support, who just shrugged again as if to say 'don't look at me'. Erin cracked her knuckles, passing the smoke up to John, who happily took it before tilting her head, looking over at Brian, who looked a little hurt.

"Hey, no-one tells me who to hang around with, so I wouldn't turn you away if you came up to me on Monday."

Brian smiled brightly at her before she turned back to John, digging around in her pocket for another cigarette, popping it into her mouth before Bender lit it up for her. The criminal felt as if Brian was looking at him, and he looked over at him, he was right. He raised his eyebrow before the question he asked hit him again.

"My answer is the same as hers, I have no problem with you, as long as you _don't_ start hitting on her, I won't push you away if you wanted to hang out."

Erin smacked his arm playfully, giggling as Brian smiled again, happy that he just made two new friends. His attention turned to the other three, who were watching Erin and Bender kissing. Andrew had a disgusted look on his face while Claire and Allison smiled at them, before moving their eyes when Erin let out a low moan. The princess reached out her hand, closing her eyes as he lip curled up into a small sneer.

"OK, was somewhat cute now...ewww!"

Erin pulled away from John, who let out a sigh, raising his head and glaring over at Claire, who just waved him off before moving her eyes over to Brian. Erin, now interested, sat up to listen. She started to toy with the chain that was attached to his trousers as she waited for the two popular teens and Allison to answer.

"Would you three ignore me if I came up to you in front of your friends?"

The room went silent after Brian spoke. John's face went hard and cold as he looked over to the other three, especially Claire and Andrew. Allison raised her hand, still looking down at her paper as she colored it in, putting the pen down before raising her head. Brian nodded, waiting for her answer, she gave him a kind smile before speaking.

"I don't have any friends..."

Erin smiled, letting go of the chain, dropping her head onto John's shoulder, who was looking slightly amused at Allison's remark. He knew that she would never turn someone away, she wasn't that type of low-life person, that's what he liked about her, she never judged people before getting to know them.

"Well if you did?"

Allison narrowed her eyes, as if she was thinking deeply, a smile creeping back onto her face before she shook her head, her hair almost covering her eyes when she did.

"No...I don't think the kind of friends I'd have would mind..." Andrew looked over at Allison, an unknown look on his face after listening to her answer, before looking down to the floor. He looked like he was trying to figure something out, gazing back at the artist then to the floor again before clearing his throat.

"I just wanna tell, each of you, that I wouldn't do that...I wouldn't and I will not! 'Cause I think that's real shi-"

Andrew raised his hand and the nerd instantly shut up, the athlete swallowed before copying Allison's move by shaking his head.

"No, I wouldn't. If you had asked me that question last week or even yesterday I would've said yes. But after today, after everything that we have all shared? I wouldn't even turn Bender away..."

John laughed at the last part, nodding in agreement before reaching out his arms and pulling Erin into his embrace, resting his chin at the top of her head. She smiled over at Andrew for the first time, impressed by his answer before it disappeared when her eyes came in contact with Claire's. They all sat in silence, the only sound was the scratching of Allison's pen, everyone except her was looking at Claire. She dropped her head, fidgeting with the material of her skirt before scoffing slightly, and her head snapped up.

"Oh, be honest, Andy...if Brian came walking up to you in the hall on Monday, what would you do? I mean picture this, you're there with all the sports. I know exactly what you'd do, you'd say hi to him and when he left you'd cut him all up so your friends wouldn't think you really liked him!"

John growled and he made a move toward her, but was pulled back by Erin, who moved her body so that she was sitting in between his legs, snuggling her face into his neck and she whispered. She was pissed off as-well, her nails were digging into her hand again, like she was doing when Andrew insulted her. Slowly, the criminal began to calm down, locking his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him. Brian had fresh tears in his eyes as Andrew and Allison shook their heads at the redhead.

"No way! God, can't you go a minute without acting like a spoiled brat?!"

Claire let out another scoff, shaking her head before running her fingers through her short hair. Allison sat up, crossing her legs before tapping Claire on the shoulder, causing the girl to turn around to face her.

"'Kay, what if I came up to you?"

Claire nodded her head, looking slightly upset to say the words she had to say to Allison. Andrew clenched his fists as he waited, he didn't want Allison to be offended by the next words.

"Same exact thing!"

John laughed darkly, shaking his head,"You ARE a bitch! Fuck, I never expected anything else, though!"

Claire turned toward the criminal, making sure to keep an eye on her words as Erin looked her in a warning way. The trouble maker kept her hand on John's, keeping him beside her, she didn't want him in ever deeper trouble. He just tightened his hold on her, his hands shaking with anger.

"Why? 'Cause I'm telling the truth, that makes me a bitch?"

John shook his head again,"No! 'Cause you know how shitty that is to do to someone! And you don't got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell 'em that you're gonna like who you wanna like!"

It was her turn to laugh and she rolled her eyes, not noticing the look that Erin was sending her way. She threw her compact on the floor, causing the small mirror inside it to shatter, making Brian cringe. Her face was red with anger, but her eyes held so much more emotion.

"Okay, what about you, you hypocrite! Why don't you take Allison to one of your heavy metal vomit parties? Or take Brian out to the parking lot at lunch to get high? What about Andy for that matter, or me? What would they say if you were friends with the 'rich princess', huh?! What would my friends say?"

Erin suddenly pounced out of John's arms and was soon across the circle, pinning Claire to the ground, causing the redhead to scream out loud. Erin was through listening to her insult everyone else, especially her friends. She was judging people she didn't even know.

"Don't you ever talk about our friends! You don't know any of our friends, you don't look at any of our friends and you certainly wouldn't condescend to speak to any of our friends so you just stick to the things you know, shopping, nail polish, your father's BMW and your poor – _rich_ – drunk mother in the Caribbean!"

John, who was enjoying the sight of her standing up to the rich girl, reluctantly stood up and helped Andrew pull her off of the redhead. She fought, kicking and screaming, her hands flying around as she tried to get back to what she was doing. He moved them back to the pillar, sitting her back down in between his legs as he calmed her down. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, panting as she glared daggers over at Claire, who was sobbing, but no-one felt sorry for her.

"Shut up!"

John's eyes landed on her, rubbing Erin's back as she tried to calm down, before backing her up, his voice low but still icy," And as far as being concerned about what's gonna happen when our friends see me and you being friends, you can forget it! 'Cause it's never gonna happen! Just bury your head in the sand...and wait for your fuckin' prom!"

Erin nodded in agreement and so did the rest, before she snuggled deeper into John's arms, her eyes closing tiredly.

"I hate you!"

He rolled his eyes at her as Erin gave her the finger.

"Yeah? GOOD!"

Brian waited until everything calmed down before he spoke,"You're so conceited, Claire. You're so conceited. You're so, like, full of yourself, why are you like that?"

Claire wiped her tears away, rubbing her hands together as she listened to Brian, thinking of what to say, what to do to make the situation right. Erin turned her head to the girl across from her, as John made sure to keep his arm around her to make sure she wouldn't do another jump towards Claire.

"I'm not saying that to be conceited! I hate it! I hate having to go along with everything my friends say! I didn't mean to hurt you all! I'm sorry for that, but it's just the way things are at this school, in life even!"

John snorted, still not believing a word she said, but he kept his mouth shut as Erin listened to the blonde boy and the princess speak while Andrew and Allison continued to draw in her book, not wanting go get involved.

Brian was the same as John, he didn't understand,"Well then, why do you do it?"

She raised her hands, trying to word it right,"I don't know, I don't...you don't understand..you don't. You're not friends with the same kind of people that Andy and I are friends with! They just have a way of doing things, and they are just so cruel and cold hearted but at the same time you want to be in with them, it's better then being stomped on by them."

No-one said anything after Claire spoke, they all just sat and listened to the large clock ticking. Erin nodded at the princess, understanding in a way, causing Claire to mouth a thanks to her. They all promised not to judge each-other but John couldn't help but break the rule, he didn't like the person Claire was but he wouldn't say anything. He couldn't speak about something he knew nothing of, just like he couldn't speak of Brian's thought's of suicide.

They were all different, apart from him and Erin.

"Don't be afraid!"

Allison pulls back a little from the pencil, her eyes slightly open as Claire leaned forward, trying to get closer to her face but she moved again. A scared look was on her fact, causing the princess to laugh slightly.

"Don't stick that in my eye!"

Claire rolled her eyes, waving her hands about before finally settling on grabbing Allison's forearms gently, telling her to stop moving.

"I'm not sticking it, just close... just go like that..."

She made some facial expressions, making Allison giggle before she gave in and began to mimic her. Claire laughed at her, watching as Allison's nose scrunched up as she tried to copy the other girl. Then she realized that she hadn't had the same fun she had with her friends as she did with Allison. She was more content with this girl than with her friends.

As she began to put some make up on Allison, she noticed something and she told her,"You know you really do look a lot better without all that black shit on your eyes..."

Allison giggled,"Hey...I like that black shit."

Claire returned her smile, picking up her shattered compact and opened it, taking out her mascara before unscrewing the top.

"This looks a lot better...look up."

Just before Claire made a move to put the mascara on her, Allison stopped her hand and raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion on her face before she asked her question.

"Please, why're you being so nice to me?"

Claire dropped her hand, looking down before raising her head, a soft smile on her face. She felt guilty for what she had said before, now realizing that the people she spent all her time with weren't her friends, they were bullies and fake, she couldn't tell them what she had just told the people she thought she hated.

"'Cause you're letting me."

Brian was sitting back down at his desk, preparing the essay, trying to think is he had written all they needed to say. Andrew looked up and saw Allison making her way toward him and stared in awe. She stopped suddenly when she noticed that Brian was staring at her with his mouth open. She glared at him, but he doesn't back away instead he gave her a genuine smile.

"Cool!"

Allison returned his smile, shocked that someone had said something nice to her for once in her life. It made her feel giddy and worthwhile.

"Thank you!" She smiled again before walking toward Andrew, who was still shocked at what he was seeing, it was like a new girl. Brian watched, kissing the essay, before turning his attention back to the teens.

"What happened to you?"

Allison suddenly felt like she was being insulted, and she looked at herself, feeling like she was being judged,"Why? Claire did it! What's wrong?"

He looked at her again, a blush appearing on his cheeks, his eyes sparkling. He finally met her eyes, grinning at her.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just so different. I can see your face."

She still felt self conscious, so she asked what was on her mind,"Is that good or bad?"

Andrew laughed, nodding,"It's good!"They smiled at each-other, and behind them Brian laughed then gave himself a congratulatory punch in the arm.

"They look happy."

Erin was sitting at the back of the library, sitting comfortably in John's lap as they both watched Allison and Andrew laughing and chatting at the front of the room, sitting at a desk. Then she looked over at the counter, distracted by a loud giggle that echoed throughout the room, and so did John. There was Claire sitting with Brian, and they were sitting close to each-other, like Allison and Andrew were.

John leaned close to her, whispering into her ear,"So do they. He might even pop her cherry. Then she might not be so stuck up."

Erin let out a shocked gasp, spinning around and smacking him in the arm, but she was laughing anyway. He faked hurt, rubbing the spot she had hit, jutting out his lower lip in a pout. She rolled her eyes, now facing him.

"And they call me the bully."

Erin laughed, before tugging at his lower lip with her teeth, making him growl. Soon they were caught up in a passionate kiss, forgetting the other people that were in the room. She didn't know how one day, 8 hours and 54 minutes could change her life forever, it was unbelievable but she knew that she wouldn't change it if she could. John moved back, tilting his head so that he could look up at her.

"What about you?"

Erin narrowed her eyes in confusion,"What about me?"

John reached up and tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear before cupping her face, bringing her down for another kiss. She rubbed her nose against his, causing his smile to re-appear.

"Are you happy, like I am?"

Erin looked down at him, noticing the worry in his eyes as she took her time to answer. Her fingers trailed over his face, before her arms wrapped around his neck. She turned her head so that she could look over at her new friends, including Claire, who were laughing and chatting at their new found partners then she moved back to John before nodding.

"Yeah, i'm happy."

**16:00**

The group chatted together as they walked down the hallway, completely differently than they were that morning. Erin was holding Bender's hand, leaning against him as they talked about him coming over for dinner, while Claire and Brian were chatting, but they weren't together, but they didn't know what the future would hold. Allison and Andrew were also holding hands, not talking, just smiling at each-other. They chatting came to a halt and they slowed their walking as they noticed Carl, the janitor and also a good friend of Erin and John's, was at the end of the corridor, sweeping up.

"Seeya, Erin." His eyes lowered as he noticed the joined hands of Erin and John, and they smiled at him brightly before nodding.

"Bye, Carl. Have a nice Sunday off!"

They continued walking, John slower than the rest as he waved at the older man,"We'll see ya next Saturday!"

Carl laughed and shook his head before getting on with his work. "You bet!"

They laughed before walking out of the doors, Erin smiling at the fresh air as she led John down the stairs. Brian blushed as his father's car came up first and he shyly turned to Claire, who was also blushing. She smiled at the blonde boy, noticing his father's disbelieving look he gave them, before she got onto her tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. His eyes widened, shuffling back and forth before whispering.

"Why did you do that?"

She giggled,"Because I knew that you wouldn't."

Just then her own father's car pulled up, and they said their goodbye's before getting into the cars. At the same time, Andrew had leaned into Allison and gently captured her lips with his own, kissing her tenderly as she responded. His hand cupped the back of her head, fingers running through her hair before they pulled away as their parent's cars showed up.

"I'll see you on Monday?" Andrew asked, ignoring his father's pointed look.

She nodded, accepting the kiss he gave her before walking across the road and getting into her car. He smiled widely, waving her off before getting into his own, smiling at Erin and John as he passed them. Bender smiled at the girl in his arms, kissing her on the forehead as they made their way to her car.

"Your gonna be fine, she _loves_ you. She also cooks for six rather than two, so your practically saving my life!"

John laughed, getting into the passenger seat, throwing his jacket into the back before closing the door. She put the key in the ignition, but paused, before turning to him. Bender watched her, studying the emotions on her face as she looked into space.

"Do you think everything is gonna change on Monday? I don't want Allison or even Brian to get hurt."

Bender moved as close as he could, resting a hand on her thigh, his fingers gripping her chin so that she would look at him. Then he pulled her down and placed a hard kiss on her mouth. He moved back, kissing her nose.

"I don't know, but If he hurts her, I will castrate him. Then you can do whatever you want to the rich bitch if she hurts the nerd, OK?"She smirked at him, kissing him one more time before they sped off, laughing when Bender raised his hand in a victory way.

**Please review?**


End file.
